Eight straight wins, clean sweep of Blue Devils

Written by: Jeremy Williamson, Sports Information Student Assistant

STOUT, Wis. -- Tacking on eight straight wins, the Pioneer baseball team rolls on to a 2-0 WIAC start, and earn an 11-7 overall record as they swept the Blue Devils at UW-Stout on Wednesday, 8-6 and 4-2.

The men are currently ranked second in the conference behind the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and are off to their best start since 2002 through the first 18 games.

It was UW-Stout who started the evening off with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and were able to hold the lead until the third when the Pioneers tacked on two runs of their own, 2-2.

With the bases loaded, center fielder Tanner Galeazzi grounded to first, bringing in Jonny Frese for the RBI, advancing Todd Wienkes to third and Casey Schroeder to second. Moments later, Evan Greco brought in Wienkes and Schroeder for two of his three RBIs of the game, with a single up the middle of the field, 5-2.

The Blue Devils rallied back in the bottom of the inning with four runs to take back the lead, 6-5.

UW-Platteville was able to load the bases again in the top of the fifth. Second baseman Colin DeBoer sent a liner into the right field to bring in Wienkes and Frese and advance Schroeder to third, leaving runners in the corners for Galeazzi. Galeazzi tacked on his second RBI of the game with a sac fly to right field, bringing in Schroeder for the last score of the game, 8-6.

Greco led the Pioneers at the plate going 3-5, bringing in three RBIs. Schroeder was the primary base runner for the game earning three runs with an RBI, while going 1-3 with one walk. Wienkes added on three runs of his own, hitting 2-3. After freshman pitcher Riley Vandenberg gave up eight hits and six earned runs through three innings, sophomore Nathan Fay was called upon and answered with six solid innings, allowing four hits and no runs. Fay earned his second win of the season (2-1).

The second game was controlled by the Pioneers' junior pitcher Austin Daniels who threw all nine innings against 35 batters, giving up six hits, two earned runs and struck out five.

The Blue Devils started off with a 1-0 lead headed into the top of the third. RBIs from DeBoer and Frese put the Pioneers back on top, 2-1 at the end of the third. Wienkes drove one to center field bringing in James Pavlik to put the Pioneers up by two in the fourth, 3-1.

Bobby Bean drove in his first RBI of the game and 12 on the year in the eighth, bringing in Galeazzi for the final Pioneer score of the game. The Blue Devils answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but a scoreless ninth sent the Pioneers on their way with the victory, 4-2, and a clean Blue Devil sweep.

The Pioneers' winning streak will be tested on Saturday with a doubleheader against the Yellowjackets of UW-Superior at Kendall Murray Field, beginning at 12 p.m.